1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to marine apparatus, and particularly to apparatus for capturing marine animals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Marine animals living at depths substantially below the water surface are subjected to a pressure environment substantially in excess of that found at the surface. Ascent from this first pressure environment beneath the surface to a second, reduced pressure environment can injure or kill the animal if the ascent is too rapid. Divers collecting live underwater specimens typically place these animals into porous bags or other enclosures and carry the animals with the diver during the ascent to the surface. The diver must take great care in controlling the rate of ascent, so as not to subject the animal to a rapid change in pressure that will injure the animal.
A number of inventions have been directed to apparatus for capturing and transporting marine animals. Examples include Kornsweet, U.S. Pat. No. 1,876,692; Brune, U.S. Pat. No. 2,688,817; and Ramsey, U.S. Pat. No. 3,754,348. These devices collectively fail to address the problem of physiological damage to the animal caused by a rapid ascent.